Manufacture of wheels



June 30, 1925. 1,543,773

E. IBACH MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS Filed Jan. 17, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 30, 1925.

E. IIBACH MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 17, 1921 I wvawkoz;

' JJMAL @35 1, @Miomvmgy Patented June so, 1925.

UNITED STATES eam PATENT oFFicE.

EMIL IIBACH, OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BETHLEHEIVI STEEL COMPANY, OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS.

Figure 1 is a plan showing a metal plate suitable for use in making disks for wheelsin accordance with my invention; Fig. 2

is an elevation thereof; Fig. 3 shows approximately the dimensions of the completed disk with the original plateshown in dotted lines; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the reducing rolls partly broken away and shows the plate at the beginning of the rolling operation; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the rolls similar to Fig. 4 but at the end of the rolling operation with the reduction of the plate partially effected; Fig. 6 is a plan of the disk showing in shaded lines the exthe formation of the disk; Fig. 7 is an elevation of the completed disk; Fig. 8 isa fron t elevation of the rolls; Fig. 9 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 4, but with the tongs in position for supporting the W plates when in the rolls; and Fig. 10 is a plan of the tongs.

My invention relates to that type of wheel in which a metal disk is employed and is particularly 'directed to methods and ap- 'paratus for the formation of tapered disks. My invention also consists in the various features which I shall hereinafter describe and claim. I

Referring to the drawings, I prefer to take a sheet rolled in a plate mill, of a convenient width and length such as is shown in Fig. 1, which on one face tapers (as is indicated at 2) from near its center toward its side edges. This sheet I cut into suitable widths, as along the dotted lines shown in Fig. 1, and aperture each at its center 3. The length of each piece or blank 4, as is shown in Fig. 3, approximates the diameter of the finished disk.

I n-order to facilitate production I have shown the space 5 between the rolls 6 formed for the reduction of two disk blanks 4 at a time. I take two disk blanks and, after preheating them, place them with their flat surfaces in contact and secure them together by the tongs 7. The beginning of the rolling operation is shown in Fig. 4, in which the working or cam surfaces 8 on the rolls 6 are ust engaging the disk blanks, at which point the space between the rolls is just equal to the thickness of the two plates. As the rolls revolve through the working quadrant, the spaces between the working or cam faces 8 on the rolls become smaller and smaller until the rolls reach the end of'the quadrant movement, as is shown in Fig. 5. As, the maximum pressure is applied by the working faces of the rolls along the axis of movement of the blank and the maximum reduction takes place along this line of movement, a fan shaped displacement of the metal results in a direction away. from the travel of the blanks. If a sufficient reduction of the blank has not occurred at the first operation it may be repeated.

The blanks are next reversed end for end and the opposite ends of the blanks are reduced by an exactly similar operation. The blanks are then placed in a press or lathe and the excess metal shown bydthe shaded portions in Fig. 6 is removed to obtain the proper finished diameter.

Further operations, such as aperturing the center of the diskfor the hub, flanging the periphery for the rim seat and other operations, may be carried out in the usual manner.

I have found that with a plate 30"xl7 rolled as described into a 30" disk, approximately-85% of the metal is utilized in the completed disk, and that such a blank which has previously been rolled with a taper on two sides can be completed with a minimum number of passes.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description] and to cause the displaced metal to flow in a direction away from its long axis, whereby the blank is rolled out to a radius approximately that of one-half the length of the long axis of the blank and with a substantially uniform taper from center to its edge reversing the plate and repeating the operation on the unreduced portion of the plate, and then cutting the surplus metal away from the blank to bring it into circular form.

2. The method of making metal wheel disks which comprises taking a rectangular plate of substantially greater length than breadth, passing the plate between a pair of reducing rolls and thereby forming a tape-r on the plate in adirection transverse to the long axis of the plate and causing the metal to flow outwardly from the long axis of the plate, reversing the plate and repeating the operation on the unreduced portion of the plate and then trimming the plate to circular form.

3. The method of making metal wheel disks which comprises taking a pair of rectangular plates, securing them together, passing them between a pair of reducing rolls and thereby causing substantially all the displaced metal to flow in a direction transverse to the long axis of theplate, reversing the pair of plates and similarly operating on the unrcduced portion and then trimming the plates to disk form.

4. The method of making metal wheel disks which comprises taking a rectangular plate of substantially greater length than breadth, heating it. passing the plate between a pair of reducing rolls and thereby causing the displaced metal to flow in a direction transverse to th long axis of the plate. then reversing the plate and similarly operating on the unreduced portion, and then trimming the plate to circular form.

5. The method of making a metal disk which comprises taking a rectangular plate of substantially greater length than breadth and rolling the plate in opposite directions from the center parallel to its shorter axis,

and then removing the surplus metal to bring it into circular form.

6. The method of forming a substantially circular plate comprising rolling a rectangular plate, of substantially greater length than breadth, from the longitudinal center line in opposite directions, and then removing the surplus metal to bring it into circular form.

7. The method of making tapered disks for wheels comprising taking a rectangular blank with a central aperture, said blank being of greater length than breadth and decreasing in thickness from near the center to the edge in a longitudinal direction, passing said blank between rolls to flow the excess metal transversely from the center to form a disk having a diametrical dimension approximately the same as the length of the rectangular blank, then turning the disk to the true circular form.

8. The method of forming a tapered disk comprising taking a rectangular blank having an upper surface sloping in two directions from near its center to its edge, and a plane lower surface, rolling the blank from near the center in opposite directions trans verse to the, direction of slope, and then removing the surplus metal to bring it into circular form.

9. The method of forming a substantially circular plate comprising rolling a rectangular plate having its length approximately equal to the diameter of the circular plate,

and its width substantially less than said diameter to increase its width to approximately equal its length, and then removing the surplus material to bring it into circular form.

10. The method of forming a tapered disk comprising taking a rectangular blank tapered from each side of the center line in the direction of its length, and rolling the blank transverse to the longitudinal axis in opposite directions, and then removing the surplus metal to bring it into circular form.

11. The method of making a tapered disk comprising taking a rectangular metal blank of substantially greater length than breadth and decreasing in thickness from near the center to the edge in a longitudinal direction. rolling said blank, from the center outwardly along lines at right angles to the lon git-ndinal axis, between rolls such that the portion of the roll surface in contact with the blank decreases and the distance between the working surfaces of the rolls decreases as the distance of the portion of the blank acted upon from the longitudinal axis increases, and then removing the, surplus metal to bring it into circular form.

12. The method of making a tapered circular plate comprising taking a rectangular 'blank tapered to a degree equal to the taper of the final product, passing the blank between rolls in a direction transverse to the direction of the grade on said blank and causing the surplus metal to flow from the center and flare the said blank into approximately semi-circular form, reversing the plateand repeating the operation in the op positedirection and trimming the plate to circular form.

EMIL IBACH. 

